You told us: You’re split about plans for an Indian-made Android, iOS rival

When you think of mobile phone operating systems, Android and iOS probably come to mind. Beyond these two, very few other OSes enter the public discourse. However, the Indian government is considering changing this by creating a rival to these two industry juggernauts.
But is this a good idea or another fool’s errand that many companies have fallen foul of? Well, we asked our readers this in a recent poll. Here are the results.
This was a popular one, gaining over 2,300 responses since it went live on January 26. We only provided yes or no choices, but the final tally was remarkably close.
The “yes” camp only just gained the majority, with 52.5% of the vote. Those who believe an Indian government OS is a terrible idea account for 47.5% of the vote.
Head-to-head: Android vs iOS
Competition is always welcome. If a massive structure like the Indian government puts its full weight behind a homegrown OS, it could find some degree of success. However, there are several hurdles to jump before that becomes a reality.
Modern OSes need app support and support from major developers and companies. If massive firms like Microsoft couldn’t cut it in this space, why would a government be any more successful? Ultimately, the Indian government would need users to drop Android and iOS for its homegrown OS to see any success. There are no guarantees that this would happen.
That’s it for this poll. Thanks for your voters and comments. If you have any thoughts about the Indian government’s homegrown OS plans or the poll results, drop a comment below.